Today, the Dutch royals, King Willem Alexander, Queen Máxima, and the Princess of Orange, begin their royal tour of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It’s Princess Amalia’s first official tour!
Itinerary
You can see a detailed breakdown on the royal website.
- January 27 and 28 – Bonaire
- January 30 to February 1 – Aruba
- February 1 to 3 – Curaçao
- February 4 to 5 – Private
- February 6 – 7 – St. Maarten
- February 8 – St Eustatius
- February 9 – Saba
Bonaire
Those of you seeking color, especially if you live in the frozen north, are going to be happy this trip. I can just feel it. The royals have landed. Dad piloted the plane, and mother and daughter are representing in some lovely shades of blue. Nice sunnies, too. Max’s trousers are by Massimo Dutti. Amalia’s clothes are identified below. H/T to Polka Popp and UFONoMore.
Day one commenced – bright and early – with a visit to the Witte Pan slavery houses. Those are serious expressions for a serious visit. The princess is wearing a Natan dress, which you can see at UFONoMore.
The family changed clothes for the cultural evening out in Kralendijk. The Princess is in a lovely yellow Ralph Lauren, and the Queen in white Zara – royal lady pantsuit alert!
Aruba
The royals received an exuberant welcome in Aruba. The King inspected the guard of honor and the national anthems of the Netherlands and Aruba were played. The royals also spoke with Governor Alfonso Boekhoudt. The Crown Princess, continuing with her excellent sunglass game, re-wore a Max Mara pantsuit from Koningsdag 2022. The Queen wore red Natan dress and the fabulous brooch from the Peacock parure.
On day four, the royals headed to the Airkok National Park which is 20% of Aruba. It’s a casual day for sure. I think Amalia is starting to understand how wind can really mess with a royal photo shoot. I like Max’s royal take on the khaki, though. The park is fabulous, and it’s worth a look through the website.
The Princess of Sunglass Game.
The royals later visited an aloe farm, and sat down to make a “scrub”. The King apparently asked what a scrub was, and Amalia responded, “You live with four women in the house and you don’t know what a scrub is?” (Note: a facial scrub, for those who are wondering!). The Queen is wearing a Natan dress, which was previously seen in 2013.
There was some dancing in the evening, and Queen Maxima was the shining star. Her dress is by Johanna Ortiz.
She can’t keep up with mum.
Curaçao
The first day in Curaçao was all about water, boats, and the navy. They arrived in casual gear, and the item of most note are Amalia’s earrings, from the Dutch jeweler Barong Barong.
Then it was on to the boats and the navy. Yes, that is the Queen at the controls of a Dutch Royal Navy boat.
Then it was on to a change of clothes and a visit to another ship – and yes, they did manage to coordinate well here. Max re-wore her Massimo Dutti culotte ensemble, and Amalia found some earrings on Etsy (really – Josine has them on her blog!)
The King, Queen, and Princess opened the King’s games where students participate in sports activities. Then they moved to the Otrobanda district, where they chatted with residents, artists, danced a bit and watched musical performances. Maxima is wearing Natan (and a Fabienne Delvigne chapeau) while Amalia wore an Isabel Marant print blouse.
The royal couple celebrated their 21st anniversary on the trip. They dined with 21 Curaçaoans. to commemorate the occasion. Both women wore repeats. Max is in her Zimmermann dress and Amalia is wearing her dark blue La Dress from her entrance at the Council of State.
A new day dawned and the royals visited the Tula Museum, which is on the site of a former plantation and slave revolt. They also stopped at a nature park, which was a former sugar plantation, where the Princess helped re-introduce a sea turtle to the ocean. Amalia’s dress is by Zara, and it was a two-pairs of sunglasses kind of day. It’s the ladies hats that I covet, though.
In the evening they attended the Tumba Festival in Curaçao – more dancing is on tonight, folks! The Queen is wearing a striped dress from Natan and the Princess wore an Essentiel Antwerp gown.
The tour to date!
Sint Maarten
The royals landed at Princess Juliana International Airport and were greeted by the governor, Ajamu Baly. The embarked on a visit to see sites that have been reconstructed after Hurricane Irma (2017). The Queen is wearing cropped culottes – a very favorite style on this trip – and the Princess is wearing a light suit with a Vanessa Bruno blouse.
Some hard hat action for a tour of the airport restoration.
There was a change of clothing and they continued the tour of the island (where I feel I must go myself now). The Queen is repeating her Natan shirt and the Princess is wearing a Diane von Furstenberg dress (on that Princess Eleanore of Belgium also owns).
The Queen attracts fans wherever she goes!
I love this photo of the earring ladies.
There was some bird watching afoot today; ).
The royals did some sage-planting in the afternoon. The queen wore a print Natan for the occasion, which she accessorized with her sapphire earrings.
Deze set staat Amalia mooi. Leuk ook, het haar zo half opgestoken. Hier lees/zie je meer: https://t.co/hwlImJiGZP pic.twitter.com/9iBF4OIbDs
— Josine Droogendijk (@josineevers) February 7, 2023
We didn’t get any photos of the evening event, but it appears that the Queen wore a repeat Valentino and the Princess wore Erdem, which we have discussed here many a time. You can see some photos over at Josine’s blog! Also, if you have good eyes, you can catch a glimpse of the Ears of Wheat in Max’s hair. Trust Max to sneak in some head bling at some point.
📍 Reception Sint Maarten
📸 Mega via TT pic.twitter.com/CYeRzm7L6f
— ChristinZ (@ChristinsQueens) February 8, 2023
Sint Eustatius
On St. Eustatius, the royals met with the government commissioner Alida Francis and took a walk through the historic center of Oranjestad, which included a discussion about the history of slavery on the island. The Royal family joined a debate with young people to discuss the future of youth on the island. The Queen re-wore her Zimmermann dress. The women once again sported statement earrings.
Saba
The royals landed at their last stop, Saba. It’s been quite a long trip, folks! The Queen saved one of her nicest dresses for last, this blue and white number from a Ukranian label, Foberini. The Princess is wearing a blouse from Fabienne Chapot.
WAUW! Máxima heeft haar mooiste jurk voor het laatst bewaard. https://t.co/JLENRQqnaO pic.twitter.com/lKBHZhXbpt
— Josine Droogendijk (@josineevers) February 9, 2023
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